Single people are valuable

There is a real thing in our culture that makes single people feel like there is something wrong with them. Singleness is often thought of as a curse. We want you to know that is not true.
Do not be in a hurry to change your status. Whatever your status is, you need to serve God within that status.

1 Corinthians 7:17 (NIV2011) …each person should live as a believer in whatever situation the Lord has assigned to them, just as God has called them.

Singles have more to give that married families in the area of time, energy, and passion. SINGLES WE NEED YOU!

Relationship Status 1 – Single

Sermon notes by Pastor Chris Fluitt

Redemption Church Plano Tx

Welcome to Redemption Church of Plano Tx. Thank you for everyone who worshipped with us today. Hello to everyone tuning in over the internet.. Facebook Live stream… Youtube… our Podcast… Hello and greetings in Jesus name.
My name is Chris Fluitt and I am blessed to serve Redemption Church as pastor and to bring you the word of God today.

Relationship Status

Today we are starting a brand new sermon series entitled Relationship Status. The Bible has a lot to say about our relationships and we perhaps do not spend enough time receiving God’s wisdom in this area.
The social media site Facebook started in 2004 and one of the early updates to the platform was the relationship status. A user could say that they were single, or that they were in a relationship with, and then name and link that person they were in a relationship with. You could select married, divorced, or the surprising for it’s time, “it’s complicated.”
The phrase “facebook official” meant that you weren’t really in a relationship until your facebook relationship status said you were. If you don’t think this is a big deal, you are absolutely wrong. If I were to change my relationship status from “married to @Sarah” to anything… “single” “divorced” “open relationship”… My facebook feed and messenger would go crazy. Imagine all the people who would write saying… what happened… are you ok… finally! I always knew Sarah could do better. J
Next week we are going to talk about the Married status. We will compare what that means for a Christian who follows God and what the world thinks.
In the 3^rd week we are going to dive right into the messy side of relationships. We are going to talk about the “it’s complicated” stuff. Divorce is complicated. Being intimate without covenant is complicated. A blended home is complicated. We need to talk about this.
Today we are going to talk about the single status. Are there any single people in the room?
I am so thankful for single people. I love you guys and gals. Sarah and I will celebrate our 10^th year being married this year, but I want to remind you that I spent 28 years being single. I know a little bit about what I am talking about today.
I remember the feeling that there was something wrong with me… because I was single. Am I the only one that ever felt that? Raise your hand if you ever felt that way.

What is wrong with me? I’m single…

The church was often the worst place for this. I remember going for an interview for a ministry job and the pastor of the church looked at me and said “You are more than qualified, you are talented, we love your energy and passion, you are everything that we are looking for… except you’re not married. It is such a risk to hire a single guy because they just aren’t as stable as a married man.”
I remember looking at him and saying (as politely as possible) “would it make me seem more stable if I flew to Vegas tonight and married the first girl I saw?” The pastor did not see the value, humor, or truth in my statement.
To this pastor, my single status meant there was something wrong with me.
I want to tell you today that your single status does not mean there is anything wrong with you. You are not lacking because of your singleness.
The culture in this world, and even within the church might make you question your value because of your status. DO NOT LISTEN TO THAT GARBAGE.
Those scriptures we love to quote… The ones that get us energized with faith… you know scriptures like…
“I can do all things through Christ!” Philippians 4:13 works for single people as much as it works for married people.
“No weapon formed against me shall prosper.” Isaiah 54:17 is for any relationship status.
“We are more than conquerors through Him who loves us!” Romans 8:37 has no exclusions on it.
Single people are not losers.
Single people don’t have something wrong with them.
Single people can absolutely be world changers for Jesus!
If you have been feeling like there something wrong with you because of your relationship status, you have come to the right sermon! There is nothing wrong with you!
Here is what the Apostle Paul says about the single relationship status.

1 Corinthians 7:8 (NIV2011) Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I do.

You aren’t a freak for being single. “It is good.”

Single people are valuable

Singleness is good because singleness is valuable in God’s Kingdom!
Singles you have more to offer Redemption Church than married couples do! Married couples and families with children have many more responsibilities than you. Married couples have less time and energy available for the kingdom.
As a single you are accountable to God and then little else.
As a married couple we are accountable to God, our spouse, our kids and everything that entails.

Singles we value you. We need you. We want singles to be ministering in this church. We want to set our singles free to use their time and energy to advance God’s kingdom.
I want to see singles leading connect groups. I want to see singles using their gifts and abilities. I want to see singles ministering at Villagio Alzheimer care, in our youth group, in a children’s area. I want you to passionately serve God with all the time and energy you have to give.
Single people aren’t unstable. That pastor thought that single people were unstable. He was wrong.
I love being married. I love my family and all the responsibilities that come with it. BUT some of the most powerful time in my ministry was when I was single. I gave my time and energy to starting things, revamping things, dreaming of new things, meeting new people, hosting meetings at my house.
Looking back I realize that my singleness was not a curse, but a blessing! And I used my free time to bless the kingdom.
Are there any singles that want to bless God’s kingdom today? Don’t wait til you change your relationship status. START NOW!

1 Corinthians 7:17 (NIV2011) …each person should live as a believer in whatever situation the Lord has assigned to them, just as God has called them.

Whatever your relationship status is you should live a life of faith unto God. If you are single… live as a believer. If you are married… live as a believer.

Don’t be in a hurry to change your status.

We can be so focused on changing our status that we forget to live as a believer within our current status.

Single people need to learn how to live for God before they are married. Before you are accountable to a spouse and children, learn how to be accountable to God.
Some people are so intent on leaving their current status that they forget to grow and mature. There are lessons for you to learn right now in your current status.
Most of the problems we have with marriages today are caused by singles who fast-forwarded towards marriage without cultivating themselves through their singleness.

By the way I want you to understand what I mean by single.

If you have a girlfriend or boyfriend you are still single. You are just dating.
If you are engaged to be married you are still single. You just have formed a plan to one day be married.

There are people that say “I’m not single… I’m dating so and so…” This is a destructive way to think. It is fast forwarding past your single status without any accountability or knowledge gained.
You should date like you are single. You should understand that the only thing that changes your single status is a marriage covenant.
Jumping into sexual intimacy without being married is still being single… but you are acting like you are married in one part of your relationship. In the bedroom you act like you are married but in every other aspect you act single…

Your money is still single.
Your dreams and aspirations are still single.
Your accountability and commitment to growing is still single.

If you are single, BE SINGLE!
If you are single, DON’T BE IN A HURRY!
If you are single, SERVE GOD!
If you are single, BECOME A PERSON WORTH MARRYING!

Forever Alone

Do you know this popular internet meme? It’s called the Forever Alone meme.
It is used a lot with single people. I am single. I am forever alone.

But this is not ever the case if you are a single serving God. You are never alone if you are serving God.
In my singleness I worked on my relationship with God and I worked on who I was as a person.
And then when I entered into marriage all I brought with me was my relationship with God and the person I had become.
Now over the course of that 1^st year of marriage I realized that I had brought some emotional insecurity with me, some immaturity with me, I brought some bad habits with me, I had even brought some debt with me… But you know what I never brought into my marriage… I never brought another person.
All I brought into my marriage was God and myself.
I did not bring a previous marriage into my marriage.
I did not bring a sexual past into my marriage.

In my singleness I served God, I schooled myself, and I saved myself for the one who would be my wife.
I was never forever alone. I was always with God and I was always making decisions for the woman who would one day be my wife.
And it was so amazing to meet Sarah who had been doing the same for me.
Embrace the status of your life today.

1 Corinthians 7:17 (NIV2011) …each person should live as a believer in whatever situation the Lord has assigned to them, just as God has called them.

Musician
The world puts so much stock into the facebook relationship status.. but as we close today I want to ask to you.

Are you facebook official with Jesus?

Have you publicly declared that You have a relationship with Jesus Christ? If you haven’t then I urge you to make the decision to go public today. I want you to come find me near the front of this stage. I will come talk with you and you just need to tell me that you want to go public.
Singles have you been serving God or Have you been trying to fast forward to the next status?
Do you have something you need to repent of today? Are you needing a miracle in your life? Whatever the status of your life today, I want to encourage you to live for God.
redemption-Church.com
Redemption Church is a nondenominational Church in Plano Texas. Our mission is to declare the good news and see others become followers of Jesus Christ. Our vision is to be a 1st Century Church connecting to a 21st Century world. To bring the community, the power, passion & dedication of that 1st century church to the fast paced, technologically advanced, and complex world of the 21st century.
We currently meet on Sunday afternoons at 3pm at the Corner of Parker Rd & Alma in Plano Tx. We would love to greet you in person.
Our lead pastor is Chris Fluitt.